I really like spicy mexican food, thats why I cook chili con carne at least twice a month. My colleague at work once cooked chili con carne with cinnamon and I was so over the moon that I had to try this at home. Maybe this is usual but I never heard of cinnamon in chili con carne.

After several fails of chili con carne with coffe, chili con carne with red vine, I finally found my favourite mix. I like to add some vegetables (courgette and carrots) and cinnamon to my chili con carne.

There is no right or wrong way to cook chili. Feel free to add your individual ingredients. Add spices and greens. Serve with differents sauces, rice, tacos, nachos or bread. And even this is only an example!

These are the „basic“ ingredients of a chili:

Meat: Minced beef is essential for the simple chilli. Some people add chorizo or spicy sausage, which is nothing for me but you can try it.

Tomatoes: Original recipes somethimes omit tomatoes but I find it pretty good and fresh. You can also add coffee (filter, not instant!) or beer for a fancy flavour.

Beans: Kidney beans, black beans or pinto beans. Use one or a mix of all. I took fire beans („Käferbohnen“ in German) which are exceptionally big and deliver even more proteins.

Long or slow cooking Chili: The more time you give your chili, the better it tastes, because the flavours have enough time to deepen. That’s why chili always tastes better reheated the following day. Cook for up to two hours, adding water if it dries out.

Toppings and sides: Grated cheese and sour cream are always good to cut the richness. Have some yoghurt to hand in case you have overdone the chili. Toasted corn tortillas sprinkled on the top or on the side are always an eyecatcher. Add Avocado salsa with lime for additional color.

Happy Monday everybody! I hope you had a great weekend. I wanted to bake burger buns for dinner but I didn’t have enough time to let the dough rise so I decided to go for a no-bun burger. What turned out was a Low Carb Burger with tons of layers. You can easily create a Veggie Burger out of this recipe!

I know that the recipe takes some time as there are quite a few layers to prepare, but it will be worth it!

Aubergine is our substitute for a burger bun. Multiple layers of vegetables and two different patties form our low carb burger.

INGREDIENTS FOR 2 BURGERS:

MEAT PATTIES

160 g minced beef or turkey (This time, I used turkey, but I would recommend using beef)

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

CHICKPEA PATTIES

1 can chickpeas

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp coriander

1 Tbs. glutenfree flour or corn starch

1 Tbs. parmesan

1 Tbs. olive oil

1 aubergine (you won’t need the whole)

1/2 small red beet

1 onion

1/2 small zucchini

lettuce

AVOCADO SALSA

1 avocado

2 Tbs. sour cream

juice of 1/2 lemon

salt, pepper, chilli

sour cream dip – optional

Preheat oven to 175° C and lay out a baking sheet with parchment paper.

For the salsa squash avocado and mix with remaining ingredients. I recommend doing this at the beginning so that the spices take full effect.

To prepare chickpea patties, mix chickpeas, salt, pepper, coriander, flour and 1 Tbs. parmesan with a mixer until you have a „dough“. Form round patties with your hands or use a pancake pan. Heat a pan with 1 Tbs. olive oil and roast chickpea patties on each side for about 1 minute. Place on the baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes.

Wash aubergine and cut it in half at it’s biggest. Cut off 4 slices à 0,5-1 cm. This will be your low carb „burger bun“. Then cut off thin slices of zucchini and onion. Heat 1 Tbs. olive oil in a pan and roast aubergine, onion rings and zucchini slices. Season with salt and pepper if you want. I skipped doing this. Slice red beet and set to side.

To make beef/turkey patties, mix meat with salt and pepper and form patties. Heat a pan with 1 Tbs. olive oil and roast to desired doneness.

Prepare one aubergine on a plate to form the „bottom-bun“. Layer with a piece of lettuce, one meat patty and one chickpea patty. Top with onion rings, red beet and zucchini. Add some sour cream dip and avocado salsa. Top with another aubergine.

Serve with sour cream dip and avocado salsa.

Follow cinnabuon on Instagram or Facebook and show me what recipes you are making from my blog! Use #cinnabuon!

Preheat a pan with 2 Tbs. olive oil and gently roast the meatballs until they are medium done! We don’t want dry meatballs. That’s why you shouldn’t roast them too long. We will place the meatballs in the oven where they continue cooking.

For the tomato sauce mix all ingredients in an oven dish, then add the meatballs. Put the dish in the oven for about 15 mins.

In the meantime cook the spaghetti and rasp some parmesan.

When your pasta is done, prepare it on a plate with some tomato sauce and meatballs. Top with parmesan.

Season with salt, pepper, chilli, paprika powder and coriander. Feel free to add more of the spices for a stronger taste.

Leave the mexican bowl simmer for a few minutes. Add a splash of water so that the meat doesn’t get too dry. In the meantime cook rice for about 10 mins or according to the instructions given on the packaging.

Prepare sour cream dip by mixing sour cream with the garlic clove and adding a pinch of salt and pepper if you want.

When the rice is done, place it in a bowl. Cover with the meat mix and top with some chopped pepper and tomatos as well as the lettuce.